This is my 50th posting to this agape blog. So it’s kind of a milestone for me. I don’t need to pause to summarize those postings because I already did that for the 2-year anniversary posting on Jan. 11.
What I want to do is pick up loose ends of what I think I may have missed or just not talked about.
First -- in my last posting I looked at the ‘agape’ passages from the Gospel According to John, to study how agape served as the basis underlying all the teachings there, but I left one loose end.
When I got to the ‘Last Supper’ section, I didn’t mention the emphasis on the ultimate sacrifice that a person living by agape must be willing to make. I decided to hold off my comments about that to this new posting.
The emphasis started when Peter wanted to show that he understood the importance of that new commandment (the agape commandment). He gave it the ultimate sacrificial meaning when he said, “I will lay down my life for you.” But Jesus answers by showing Peter that he won’t fully understand the sacrificial meaning behind agape until he is able to fully put it into action. Jesus says, “before the cock crows you will have denied me three times.” (13:34-38)
And we remember, of course, the sacrificial comment that Jesus made later when he talked about agape becoming so active among a group of friends, such that they must be willing to lay down their life for a friend. The meaning, of course, shows the sacrificial aspect of agape -- that people living by the power of agape must let agape lead them to give their all. And Jesus gave his life as the great example.
Secondly -- the full meaning (of Jesus calling them to a future of remaining in his agape) came when he commanded them to live by agape so that they would become increasingly more aware of God’s power with them.
To my understanding, the most important point that summarizes all of the teaching Jesus gave about agape was increased awareness of God’s power in our lives and in our relationships.
That’s why I interpret the main mission of Jesus as teaching about agape and trying to bring God’s agape into people’s lives in such a way that began to change the world. Then the sad fact that the Book of Acts illustrates is the difficulty people have putting the power of agape into action. Even the closest followers of Jesus did not quickly learn how to live by agape. But slowly, and haltingly, they did learn.
And so the long history of Christianity shows that not only was it not easy, but also that a lot of sacrifice happened. Not very many people learned the importance of living by the power of agape. At least the written record was left for us to read, but even at that, we miss the important point if we end up mistranslating ‘agape’ into words that don’t convey the full spiritual power that can come into our lives.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Agape teachings throughout John
When I re-read that listing of scriptures, I was struck by how much the ‘agape’ passages from the Gospel According to John served as the basis underlying all the teachings there.
That thought, of course, especially came to me from the place in the ‘Last Supper’ section where Jesus is giving his final instructions about the importance of agape. He told them that they would be known by how much other people saw agape coming through their actions. (I understand those verses to mean, “Share agape with each other. Just as I have shared agape with you, so you also must share agape with each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you share agape with each other.” (Jn. 13:34-35)) In other words, as I mentioned in a previous posting, their identity as a faith community is based on how alive the flowing of God’s agape is among them.
So, keeping that in mind, I went through the rest of the Gospel. What follows is what I learned.
The first time ‘agape’ is used in John is in the famous 3:16 verse. The implication is that the power of God’s agape to bring eternal Life was made possible through the work of Christ.
To me that implication is extended into the incident with the Samaritan woman at the well. So (especially where he invoked eternal Life (4:14)), I can’t help but think that Jesus was using the image of living water to refer to agape, because the whole incident is an illustration of Jesus using the influence of agape to overcome that ancient hatred that existed between Judaeans and Samaritans. The incident also illustrated Jesus overcoming the old custom of a woman not being allowed to speak alone to a man in public. So that account’s image of living water pointed to the power of agape to overcome hatreds and prejudices.
At another place I think reference is made to the eternal Life power of agape, when Jesus says, “What the Father does, the Son does. For the Father agapao the Son and shows him all his works, and will show greater yet, to fill you with wonder. … so the Son gives Life to people, as he determines.” (Jn. 5:20-21 NEB)
At another place the transformational power of agape is discussed in the difficult verses from 12:24-25, where we see that it is a misuse of agape to try clinging to the old ego-identity self. Instead, a person must turn away from the worldly definition of identity and use agape’s power of eternal Life to form a new identity.
When we get to the ‘Last Supper’ section, Jesus starts his final teachings by saying, “I give you a new commandment: share agape with one another; as I have shared agape with you, then all will know that you are my disciples.” (13:34-35)
To me it seems that Ch. 14 is an extended teaching about the meaning of agape, and when the translation correction is made -- to leave ‘agape’ intact, where it was meant to be -- then the spiritual meaning becomes clear. This is especially obvious when we take into consideration the way 14:15-17, 23-26 link agape with the Holy Spirit, and then 15:9-13 talks about agape dwelling in his followers in such a way that God’s Spirit dwells in them.
When Jesus called them to a future of remaining in his agape, he commanded them to live by agape so that they would become increasingly more aware of God’s power with them. Today, people who want to follow the teachings of Jesus, need to see themselves as also being under that commandment. But of course, agape only becomes a fully functioning, strong influence on life when it is recognized.
That thought, of course, especially came to me from the place in the ‘Last Supper’ section where Jesus is giving his final instructions about the importance of agape. He told them that they would be known by how much other people saw agape coming through their actions. (I understand those verses to mean, “Share agape with each other. Just as I have shared agape with you, so you also must share agape with each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you share agape with each other.” (Jn. 13:34-35)) In other words, as I mentioned in a previous posting, their identity as a faith community is based on how alive the flowing of God’s agape is among them.
So, keeping that in mind, I went through the rest of the Gospel. What follows is what I learned.
The first time ‘agape’ is used in John is in the famous 3:16 verse. The implication is that the power of God’s agape to bring eternal Life was made possible through the work of Christ.
To me that implication is extended into the incident with the Samaritan woman at the well. So (especially where he invoked eternal Life (4:14)), I can’t help but think that Jesus was using the image of living water to refer to agape, because the whole incident is an illustration of Jesus using the influence of agape to overcome that ancient hatred that existed between Judaeans and Samaritans. The incident also illustrated Jesus overcoming the old custom of a woman not being allowed to speak alone to a man in public. So that account’s image of living water pointed to the power of agape to overcome hatreds and prejudices.
At another place I think reference is made to the eternal Life power of agape, when Jesus says, “What the Father does, the Son does. For the Father agapao the Son and shows him all his works, and will show greater yet, to fill you with wonder. … so the Son gives Life to people, as he determines.” (Jn. 5:20-21 NEB)
At another place the transformational power of agape is discussed in the difficult verses from 12:24-25, where we see that it is a misuse of agape to try clinging to the old ego-identity self. Instead, a person must turn away from the worldly definition of identity and use agape’s power of eternal Life to form a new identity.
When we get to the ‘Last Supper’ section, Jesus starts his final teachings by saying, “I give you a new commandment: share agape with one another; as I have shared agape with you, then all will know that you are my disciples.” (13:34-35)
To me it seems that Ch. 14 is an extended teaching about the meaning of agape, and when the translation correction is made -- to leave ‘agape’ intact, where it was meant to be -- then the spiritual meaning becomes clear. This is especially obvious when we take into consideration the way 14:15-17, 23-26 link agape with the Holy Spirit, and then 15:9-13 talks about agape dwelling in his followers in such a way that God’s Spirit dwells in them.
When Jesus called them to a future of remaining in his agape, he commanded them to live by agape so that they would become increasingly more aware of God’s power with them. Today, people who want to follow the teachings of Jesus, need to see themselves as also being under that commandment. But of course, agape only becomes a fully functioning, strong influence on life when it is recognized.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Agape as channel for divine permeating
Recently I read through the scripture quotes about agape that I’d included in my Aug. 20 posting. That inspired me during morning prayer to realize that agape serves for us as the channel through which divine Presence permeates our being. So serving as a spiritual channel, agape opens us to the manifesting of divine Presence in our lives.
Also, it is through agape that we are opened to the vastness of divine Presence. So agape opens us up to having a spiritual sensation of divine Presence so vast that it is eternal and formless. And yet agape allows us to participate in that vast, eternal, formless Essence. It is such a spiritual sensation of participating that shows us how we can identify with the vast, eternal, formless Essence.
That is how agape helps us completely change our sense of identity. We are able to see how to readjust our thinking about identity. Agape helps us start to build a personal identity based on being connected with and participating with divine Presence. Or as the ancient expression put it: each person sees herself or himself as a child of God.
As we let God’s agape work in our lives, it also serves as a channel for spiritual power to flow out to our relationships, and in that sense we serve as a channel for agape to flow in our world. Each of us helps to increase the influence of agape when we let it flow through our actions.
Agape helps us realize that we are participating in something so much more powerful than anything we could have developed by trying to identify as an individual personality. So agape helps us know how much more we are than we ever thought possible.
When I thought about how great that possibility is, I began remembering one of my favorite old hymns. This musical memory took me back to the days before I became aware of the problems with translating ‘agape’ as ‘divine love.’ The hymn was by Charles Wesley and was titled “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” So I got out my old hymnal and re-wrote the words as follows:
Also, it is through agape that we are opened to the vastness of divine Presence. So agape opens us up to having a spiritual sensation of divine Presence so vast that it is eternal and formless. And yet agape allows us to participate in that vast, eternal, formless Essence. It is such a spiritual sensation of participating that shows us how we can identify with the vast, eternal, formless Essence.
That is how agape helps us completely change our sense of identity. We are able to see how to readjust our thinking about identity. Agape helps us start to build a personal identity based on being connected with and participating with divine Presence. Or as the ancient expression put it: each person sees herself or himself as a child of God.
As we let God’s agape work in our lives, it also serves as a channel for spiritual power to flow out to our relationships, and in that sense we serve as a channel for agape to flow in our world. Each of us helps to increase the influence of agape when we let it flow through our actions.
Agape helps us realize that we are participating in something so much more powerful than anything we could have developed by trying to identify as an individual personality. So agape helps us know how much more we are than we ever thought possible.
When I thought about how great that possibility is, I began remembering one of my favorite old hymns. This musical memory took me back to the days before I became aware of the problems with translating ‘agape’ as ‘divine love.’ The hymn was by Charles Wesley and was titled “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” So I got out my old hymnal and re-wrote the words as follows:
“Agape, all loves excelling. Joy of eternity come to all. / Fix in us your humble dwelling. All your wonders share for all. / Jesus, you are all compassion, pure, agape you are. / Visit us with your salvation, spread to all, near and far. / Breathe, O breathe your spiritual agape in every troubled breast. / Let us all in you inherit, Let us find your promised rest. / You we would be always blessing; Alpha and Omega be; / End of faith, as its beginning, Set our hearts at liberty. / Come, almighty to deliver, Let us all your Life receive. / Pray, and praise you without ceasing, in agape to believe. / Finish then, your new creation; Pure and spotless let us be.”
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